Iced Perfection
by daintydreams
Summary: He wanted this to be perfect. He couldn't make another mistake. He poured his heart and thoughts into the sketches and smiled jubilantly as he started to begin with quick nimble fingers.


**A/n: **Hey guys! I just wanted to create a one-shot about an idea that just popped into my head at 5:43 in the afternoon. I hope you guys enjoy it! Another thing, I absolutely suck at accents so sorry if Bunny's or North's accent seem off and out-of-whack. Also, sorry if any of the characters seem to be OOC. First time doing a one-shot.

**Disclaimer: ** don't own anything except for my plot line/ideas, and text! Rise of the Guardians (the movie counterpart) belongs to DreamWorks and their creations/creators. Rise of the Guardians, The Guardians of Childhood, etc. belongs to William Joyce. No copyright infringement intended.

**Warnings: **fluffy emotions, Tooth being over-protective, Baby Tooth angry, and blood. You have been warned.

* * *

_Iced Perfection_

* * *

"Hey North, have you seen Jack?" Tooth fluttered nervously around a room that was specifically set up by the Yeti's for hanging around or one of those monthly meetings that North insisted were only for check-ups just incase Pitch came back. Everyone knew that it was only for a certain winter sprite to get comfortable around them after three hundred years and then some of loneliness.

"No, I have not seen winter spirit for quite some time." North frowned. "Shall we wait for others to come and then express concern?"

"I-I guess s—Sandy!" Tooth zipped towards the golden man who was currently drifting downwards from his sand made airplane. He tilted his head to the side with confusion as Tooth fluttered anxiously, her feathers ruffling upwards in her worry. "Have you seen Jack?" She asked. "I haven't seen Sweet Tooth since last Friday…and that was five days ago!"

"Relax, Sheila." Right at that moment, E. Aster Bunnymund hopped through his tunnels. "I'm sure tha' little show pony is jus' playin' some pranks o' som'thin'."

"But, that's just the thing, Bunny!" Tooth shrieked. "It's been five days! Usually, we would've heard something of him but no, absolutely nothing! Oh, what if he's hurt, or…or scared…or…or—,"

"Tooth," North caught her by her shoulders. "You must be calm! I am positive Jack is fine. He'll come to meeting soon, don't worry. You'll see him all fine. Bunny is most likely right, it must be some prank."

"Oh." Tooth's worry deflated an octave and she rested on her knees on a pale blue ottoman. "You're right. I'm sure he's fine, we just have to wait."

* * *

Confused and questioning chirps tore him away from his thoughts and his drawing board. A dash of greens, yellows, and a little bit of blue and purple, caught the corner of his eye and he smiled, "Hey Baby Tooth!"

Baby Tooth flew up close in Jack's face and chirped angrily at him but with slight relief. Jack raised an eyebrow at the assault but he chuckled nonetheless at her worries. "I'm fine Baby Tooth. I've just been busy with a few surprises I want to give the rest of the guardians." Baby Tooth tilted her head to the side in curiosity. Jack gave her a smile. "I just…wanted to thank them for all that they've done."

Baby Tooth nodded before zipping towards his shoulder and sat there as she watched in amazement as Jack sketched each design beautifully with the charcoal pencil smudging the cream colored sketch pad paper. Unbeknownst to the guardians, Jack was in North's workshop. He personally asked Phil to make him a room much similar to North's secret working office where he had once asked Jack what his center was.

It took a month to prepare since Phil wanted to make it perfect for the winter sprite that dug his way into his heart, but it was finally finished.

Baby Tooth watched in admiration as Jack's fingers created lines, edges, and curves that blended and shifted into a magical creation. She grinned as she understood that this was for her mother, the Tooth Fairy. She squeaked and squealed with happiness as she imagined all of their reactions.

Jack laughed, catching her happiness. He set the pencil down and cupped Baby Tooth in his hands. "You can't tell them, alright? It's a surprise, so can I trust you to keep it a secret?"

Determination and trust edged deep on Baby Tooth's face as she nodded firmly and chirped at Jack, even though they both knew that he couldn't understand her anyway or how. But Jack got the message: _you can count on me, Jack!_

* * *

"It's been two hours!" Tooth cried. "Oh, where could my Sweet Tooth be?" She caught eyes with Bunny and flew towards him with anger and frustration. "Did you say something to him, Bunny? If you did, and you're the one causing him to be away, you will deeply regret it, E. Aster Bunnymund!"

"Now, calm down, Tooth!" Bunny protested, backing up. An angry Tooth was not one you wanted to mess with. "I didn't do anything to the ankl' bittah, Tooth."

"Tooth, there's no need for finger pointing!" North declared as he took a goblet filled with eggnog from a passing gray-white Yeti holding a tray much like a waiter would. "Is no one's fault. We must be patient for Jack's absence, no?"

"But what if he's hurt?" Tooth fretted. "He-He might need me-I mean us, he might need us. North, put on the Aurora Borealis one more time. Please?" The heartbroken, frazzled, and worried expression on Tooth's face would make any grown man melt and grovel at her feet. North sighed heavily but nodded and lumbered out of the lounge area and towards the globe room. Tooth and Bunny followed him; Sandy had fallen asleep with a half-drunken eggnog in his hands that an elf had already devoured.

North summoned the Borealis and then turned back to Tooth with worry lines scarring his face. "All we can do now is wait."

Meanwhile Sandy's sleep had been interrupted by the jingling bells of the elves that scuttled around him, trying to score goblets of eggnog and the Yeti's grumbling language as they swatted at the pointy headed creatures that were always "under boot." Sandy yawned and stretched but paused once he realized that no one was in the lounge room. Sandy floated mindlessly as he trailed the hallways of Santoff Claussen.

He paused, though, once he heard a familiar voice float and drift through the air vent he was next to and said, "—for the last time, Baby Tooth, my finger is fine! See? No blood! No—ow, Baby Tooth! Can I please finish this? I have to make it perfect—ow! Stop pecking me with your beak—ouch, seriously? It's just a simple—_Baby Tooth!"_

Curiously, Sandy walked through the many hallways, trying to follow the echo of Jack's voice and find out where he was hiding and what, exactly, he's doing.

* * *

It was nothing really. It was a simple prick from his ice tools, nothing major. Of course, it was a tiny red scratch against his pale skin that made it look out of place. This sort of thing happened all of the time whenever Jack decided to sculpt. Even though he's been doing it for more than two hundred years, he sometimes got too into the art of creating and sometimes let it slip from his mind that his tools seriously, really had to be handled with the utmost care. Of course, this happened only one out of twenty times so it was rare.

And just like Tooth would, Baby Tooth freaked once she spotted the squiggly red line impaling Jack's palm. She fluttered around it nervously, shrieking and chirping and pulling at Jack's hood as she desperately tried to explain to him that he needed to examined by an expert in the medical fields but the stubborn sprite wasn't budging.

So in retaliation, Baby Tooth pecked him. Not too hard but not too soft either.

"Ow!" Jack sighed frustratingly as Baby Tooth pecked him again; it was her way of reprimanding him for putting off his injury as "it's a simple scratch."

"Baby Tooth, I promise that I'm almost done!" Jack said. "I just have to finish what I'm making for Tooth. I've made all the others; it's just Tooth's own that I have to finish."

Baby Tooth chirped at him and gave him a lighter, feather soft peck as if warning him that he better not be lying to her. As if knowing her exact thoughts, Jack smiled warmly down at her. "I'm not lying, okay? I promise."

Baby Tooth nodded and then started to supervise Jack's finger movements as he carved through his ice, making intricate curves and lines and arches. Baby Tooth perched herself back on Jack's shoulder after deeming that he wouldn't have another injury. Jack started to whistle a mindless tune as he worked on creating his gift for Tooth.

Tooth was getting a, well, a tooth but circling around it-as it connected to one another through the top and bottom middle part-were soft, tiny images of mini fairies carrying teeth or coins, or both. He added a touch of his snowflake designs to make it more beautiful and original. North was getting an ice present and on the wrapping paper were images of reindeer, the Yeti's working, castles, and mischievous elves along with Christmas trees and lights and decorations and a mini North on Christmas night.

Bunny was receiving an Easter egg that had a delicately sculpted design along with tiny, mini eggs. And Sandy was the hardest of all. He decided to give the sandman the sculpted out word DREAM with tiny images implanted in each letter as it was resting on a dream cloud. Jack put thought and creativity into the gifts. He wanted to thank them all for everything that they've done to/for him. They were his family, whether they knew it or not, and even though they left him alone for three hundred and something years, he got over it and focused on the Now and the future.

_Just one more design and then I'm—_

"Sweet Tooth!"

Whether Jack wanted to admit it or not, he let out a girlish shriek and ended up leaving the design unfinished as he jumped in the air from being startled by Tooth and then, promptly, deepened the cut he already had. Baby Tooth didn't notice since she was fluttering around Tooth with concern on her face from the outburst.

Jack whirled around the face the four guardians who were crowding around his doorway. He made sure to hide his injury as he smiled sheepishly. "Hey, guys." He said. "What's up?"

"Sorry fo' scarin' yah, Frostbite." Bunny said. "Tooth 'ere was worried 'bout yah."

"Why?" Jack asked, confused. "Oh, shoot!" He exclaimed. "I'm late for the monthly meeting thing again, aren't I?"

"What are you doing here?" North questioned. "I have never seen this room before."

"Oh, I asked Phil to make me a room much like your workshop office, if you don't mind?" Jack had the nerve to look sheepish and shy.

North laughed, "Is no problem, Jack. Now, what are you doing?"

Sandy tried in vain to look at Jack's work but he got a playful glare in return. Sandy chuckled silently as he returned his position back by the other Guardians. Tooth scolded, "Jack, you scared me half to death! Don't do that ever again!"

Jack nodded as Tooth stared into his eyes with a fierce expression that resembled much of a mother bear protecting her cubs. Jack smiled nervously as he felt a tingle of pain cover his injured hand. "I won't scare you like that ever, Tooth." Jack promised. "I swear."

"Yah still didn' answah North's question," Bunny raised an eyebrow at Jack as his nose twitched. Bunny smelt something stale and coppery but he couldn't place it for the life of him.

"Oh. I was…um…making you guys something." Jack said with a small unnoticeable blush on his face. "It was all early Christmas or birthday gifts, I suppose."

The guardians drew back with surprise evident on their faces. A question mark appeared on top of Sandy's head. Jack chuckled nervously, "I…just wanted to say thanks, I guess. And I got bored."

Bunny's nose twitched again as pain rippled in Jack's arm that made him force down a flinch.

"Oh." Tooth smiled. "Is it done?"

Jack nodded. "Yup; it's all in the cupboard over there, it's really obvious which one is which." The guardians walked towards the pale blue cupboard and North opened it. North handed out the gifts to each of the guardians it was made for but he came empty handed for Tooth.

"Jack…" North started but Jack cut him off.

"You're present is here, Tooth." Jack smiled toothily. "I didn't forget you."

Tooth flew towards his work desk and Jack slid her the gift without revealing his injury to anyone in the room. They were all unaware of Jack's blood dripping onto his wooden desk, Jack too. Jack smiled as he looked at their reactions.

"Frostbite, yah made this? By yourself?" Bunny was surprised and shocked at the intricately drawn and sculpted designs on the ice egg. "It's amazing."

Jack smirked. "I'm flattered, Bunny. Simply flattered,"

"Aye, watch it, Snowflake." Bunny warned.

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Don't call me Snowflake, Kangaroo."

Bunny glared and opened his mouth but then his nose twitched with the growing stench. His eyes widened as he finally realized what it was. "Eh, Frostbite? 'Re yah bleedin'?"

Jack's eyes widened a little but he stammered out a reply, "Um…uh…uh…n-no. Why'd you ask?"

North put down his gift and took a step closer towards the spirit. "Jack, have you hurt yourself by sculpting?"

A furious shriek caught their attention as Baby Tooth flew up in Jack's face with an angry expression with chirps and squeaks as she seemed to be scolding him in her language. Her former shriek seemed to be saying, _not again, Jack!_

"Jack…" Tooth's voice was dangerously low and it caused Jack to stiffen and for dread to mix in with the pain in his hand. "Let me see your hand, the one you're hiding behind your back."

Times like this, Jack wished he could make himself invisible. With a shuddering sigh, and eyes closed, Jack showed the guardians a shaking, bloody hand. A crash was heard as Tooth screamed, _"Jack!" _

Mama Bear Mode indeed.


End file.
